XL Bully ban will cost police £25 million in vet and kennel fees this year with no clear reduction in attacks
XL Bully ban will cost police £25 million in vet and kennel fees this year with no clear reduction in attacks
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Police have revealed 848 dogs were surrendered by their owners and euthanised after the ban came into force – with no assessment of their dangerousness – costing £340k in vet fees. The XL Bully ban is predicted to cost police £25 million in vet and kennel fees this year, as chiefs admit it could take several years to see a reduction in dog attacks.
![[Esther Martin was mauled to death by two XL bully dogs last February (Essex Police/PA)]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/08/22/11/5895475a9d052648a5abfb4e15a90900Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNzI0NDA2NDc0-2.75251500.jpg)
The National Police Chiefs’ Council have revealed the “huge burden” the ban is having on forces in Britain, after the controversial breed was outlawed last year following a string of fatal attacks. Speaking ahead of the first anniversary of the ban coming into the force on 1 February, chief constable Mark Hobrough, the NPCC’s lead for dangerous dogs, said forces are facing spiralling kennel costs after 4,586 suspected unregistered banned dogs were seized by police between February and September alone.
![[XL Bully owners protested against the ban in London last October]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/05/22/13/newFile-1.jpg)
Keeping these dogs in kennels costs police an average of £1,000 per month, per dog, until cases reaches court. Amid record court backlogs, they expect costs to soar to £25 million by the end of the financial year – an increase of 500 per cent on £4 million in 2018.
“It’s anticipated that across the 43 forces, the cost for veterinary and kennelling will come to £25 million,” he said. “That’s just for veterinary and kennelling. It doesn’t account for half a million pounds worth of overtime that’s been spent between February and September last year. It doesn’t account for forces having to buy specialist vehicles, specialist equipment, uplift their dog legislation officers.”.
